Building height issue

With a building moratorium scheduled to end this month, the Swansboro Board of Commissioners is expected to take action Tuesday on the building height issue.

JANNETTE PIPPIN Daily News Staff

SWANSBORO — With a building moratorium scheduled to end this month, the Swansboro Board of Commissioners is expected to take action Tuesday on the building height issue.

A public hearing is scheduled on proposed ordinance amendments that would essentially return the town’s building height limit along the town’s commercial highway corridor back to 35 feet.

Concerns about an existing provision allowing structures up to 75 feet along the corridor by special use prompted the building moratorium so that the town could continue to study the issue. The moratorium on structures over 40 feet ends Dec. 31.

After a series of workshops to discuss the issue, the Board of Commissioned voted 4-1 to send proposed amendments to the planning board.

The proposed amendments eliminate the 75-foot provision and protect existing structures over the 35 feet. The proposed changes also allow for the construction of buildings up to 50 feet in height where progress was made toward design where a subdivision plat has been previously approved.

The planning board reviewed the proposed amendments and voted to recommend approval, but board Chairman Bob Shuller said the approval comes with knowledge that the town commissioners plan to continue to review the issue.

Town commissioners also voted 4-1 at the November workshop to have Town Manager Dave Harvell put together a plan for implementing the Gateway Corridor Study to further review the commercial corridor along N.C. 24, with the idea that there may be specific areas along the corridor where a higher height limit would be appropriate.

While there were concerns about the 75-foot limit, Shuller said there was still a feeling among the planning board that some adjustments may need to be made and there may be “nodes” where a greater height should be allowed.

Shuller said the planning board was more comfortable in its approval knowing the door is still open on the issue.

“They way the commissioners handled it made it easier for us to make the recommendation that we did,” he said.

The town board is also scheduled to consider an agreement with Wooten company to work on design guidelines for implementation of the Gateway plan.

The board, however, will hold off on discussions of proposed plans for construction of a McDonald’s restaurant.

The matter was removed from the agenda and will be discussed at a later date.